mgpcpastor's blog

This morning we sang ‘Here Is Love’. Originally the hymn lyrics were written by William Rees. The version we use is the one which has had a new musical arrangment and extra lyrics by Steve and Vikki Cook added to the original words.
As far as I can tell the new arrangement is pretty minor and the chorus is alright, but doesn’t add a tremendous amount to the overall song. All it seems to do is change the overall layout of the song from a hymn to a modern praise song.
Some choruses in older hymns were later additions, but I’m not sure this one will stand the test of time because it doesn’t add to the overall song or clarify anything the song doesn’t already say.
There are a lot of new tunes and adaptions of existing hymn words that I like. Vikki Cook’s own tune for ‘Before The Throne Of God Above’ is a standout. This seems to be a case where the original didn’t actually need a lot of help. Ah well.

The modern lyric set:
Here is love wide as the ocean
Loving kindness as a flood
When the Prince of Life, our ransom
Shed for us His precious blood
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout Heaven’s eternal days

On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide
Grace and love like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heaven’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love

Oh how marvelous, oh how glorious
Is my Savior’s love for me!
Oh how marvelous, oh how glorious
Is my Savior’s love for me!

Of Your fullness You are pouring
Your great love on me anew
Without measure, full and boundless
Drawing out my heart to You
You alone will be my glory
Nothing in the world I see
You have cleansed and sanctified me
You Yourself have set me free

Music and extra lyrics by Steve and Vikki Cook
Lyrics by William Rees
As recorded on the Sovereign Grace album ‘All We Long to See’
© 2002 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

These are the lyrics to the original hymn from the nethymnal webpage:
Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see.
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and power on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

Here’s a link to the Sovereign Grace webpage so you can listen to a sound clip.
This week’s youtube video is a rendition of the original hymn sung by a Welshman named Huy Priday.
My daughters both bagged the this out, but they have no taste in singers.